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COVID-19 & Justice System
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Criminal defendants will soon appear in court via video
The presiding judge of Los Angeles County's court system today announced the launch of a project in which defendants in criminal cases can appear through video to lower the number of people coming to court during the coronavirus pandemic. Presiding Judge Kevin C. Brazile cited an "unprecedented level of collaboration and coordination which has led to the design, set-up and testing of this program in the largest trial court system in the United States in just two weeks."
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Attorneys must accept electronic service
The Judicial Council announced Friday that an emergency rule has been enacted - to remain in effect until 90 days after the governor declares that CONVID-19 restrictions are lifted - requiring attorneys to accept electronic service of documents. "Attorneys have reported that during this pandemic, some parties refuse to agree to electronic service and insist on serving and being served by mail," the announcement says. Metropolitan News-Enterprise
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Judge: Governor's orders override cities' objections to homeless hotel housing
As objections mounted from Los Angeles cities to a plan to temporarily house homeless people in danger of contracting the coronavirus at local hotels, a federal judge today indicated that Gov. Gavin Newsom's emergency order would prevail regardless. The plan to house vulnerable people at hotels throughout Los Angeles is the focus of Project Roomkey - a joint undertaking by the city and county of Los Angeles and the state of California.
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California chief justice: Courts lack information on jail conditions
Despite gaining unprecedented authority over local courts during the coronavirus outbreak, California's chief justice says she and other judicial leaders still lack information on conditions in county jails and the impact of the virus on everyone in the justice system - defendants, victims and the public.
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California counties turning to at-home rape kits amid COVID-19 threat
Forensic nurses who examine sex assault victims are not available at many California hospitals due to the increased need for resources to treat COVID-19 patients. So some law enforcement agencies are combining telehealth services with controversial home rape kits as an alternative to examining victims at a hospital. In Monterey County, prosecutors insist their new protocol is only temporary, and because of close supervision over videoconferencing, they said the evidence will not be compromised.
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Judge won't order virus safety plan for California prisons
A federal judge has rejected a call from lawyers representing state prisoners to compel the California corrections department to submit a plan for preventing the novel coronavirus from spreading any further within its 32 prisons. "This court can only order relief if it first finds the violation of a federal right," U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar wrote in his ruling Friday, following a Thursday hearing on the state's progress in separating and transferring prisoners out of packed dormitories.
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Federal judge orders ICE to reduce detainee population amid pandemic
A federal judge in Los Angeles ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday to reduce the amount of detainees held in its Adelanto processing facility in order to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. In a 7-page order, U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter Jr. granted a preliminary injunction request to the American Civil Liberties Union, which has filed a class action lawsuit over conditions at Adelanto and other ICE detention facilities.
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California weighs emergency lawyer licensing due to virus
Two separate groups, one led by law school students and the other by deans, are urging the Supreme Court of California to cancel in-person bar exams due to Covid-19 for the remainder of 2020, but without a consensus for what comes next in that state and beyond. The California coalitions agree that the exam currently scheduled for July 28-29 shouldn't merely be delayed until September, which was recently recommended as a "preferred option" by the state bar's board of trustees, but rather dashed altogether because of lingering virus-related public health dangers.
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Officials want California Supreme Court to delay State Bar exams
The State Bar of California has announced that its Board of Trustees has recommended that the California Supreme Court either postpone the state's bar exam from July to September or cancel it. About 9,000 law school graduates were expected to take the two-day exam, needed to gain a license to practice law, on July 28 and 29.
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Coronavirus creates confusion over when and how to conduct the bar exam for new attorneys
Law school students on the cusp of graduating are yet to see when and how they will be able to enter into the field, due to potential cancellations of the California Bar Examination.
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California's Attorney General defends virus shutdowns
What would normally be broad constitutional protections for freedoms of assembly, religion - even buying guns - may be curtailed when they endanger others during the coronavirus pandemic, California's top law enforcement officer said in an interview. The state has been sued over all three during its shutdown as government officials pick winners and losers in deciding which businesses and activities can operate and which can't.
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Citing COVID-19, California extends ex parte "Red Flag" gun confiscation orders to 110 days!
A state with one of the worst "Red Flag" gun confiscation laws on the books just got worse. On April 13, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra issued a guidance document on the procedures concerning certain types of restraining orders. Citing the ongoing COVID-19 panic, Becerra noted that all ex parte Gun Violence Restraining Orders (EGVROs) are to be extended 90 days past the statutory expiration date.
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Qualified immunity properly denied deputy who had dog hold surrendering suspect
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the denial of qualified immunity to a San Diego County deputy sheriff in an execessive-force case in which a man contends that it was unreasonable not to call off a police dog, whose teeth were grasping his arm, once he surrendered to officers. The decision on Tuesday upholds a March 4, 2019 order by District Court Chief Judge Larry A. Burns of the Southern District of California partially denying Deputy Sheriff Trenton Stroll's motion for summary judgment.
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U.S. Supreme Court abolishes split jury verdicts; dozens of convictions voided
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that juries across the nation must be unanimous to convict or acquit a criminal defendant, outlawing the split verdicts that had persisted in Louisiana since openly racist lawmakers enshrined them in the state Constitution during the Jim Crow era.
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Witness intimidation justified yanking pro per privilege
A defendant who asked his sister to contact his victim - a former girlfriend he had battered and kidnapped - and ask her to profess having been coerced by a police detective to "press charges," was properly stripped of his right of self-representation, the Court of Appeal for this district held yesterday in a 2-1 decision. Justice Kenneth Yegan wrote the majority opinion, in which Presiding Justice Arthur Gilbert joined.
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A principal threatened to call ICE on an undocumented parent. She sued and lost
"While (the) threat may be unseemly and unbecomng of a school principal," it did not violate anyone's right to free speech or equality under the law, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Thursday. The 2-1 ruling noted that the threat was never carried out, and said merely uttering it did not discriminate against the family or violate any "clearly established" constitutional rights.
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Three-year delay in charging man after his arrest wasn't speedy-trial denial
The Court of Appeal for this district held Friday that a man who was arrested at his home on Oct. 20, 2014, on suspicion of manufacturing a controlled substance but not charged until October 16, 2017, was not denied his right to a speedy trial. There was a good reason for the delay, Acting Presiding Justice Laurie Zelon of Div. Seven said, pointing out that the arresting officer, Long Beach police detective Luis Rodriguez, was told to hold off on referring the matter to the District Attorney's Office by a United States Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA") agent.
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ICE can't duck class action over detainees' poor access to health care
A federal judge in California advanced a nationwide class action lawsuit over poor access to medical and mental health care at federal detention facilities, as infections rise among detainees. The court's order on Wednesday comes as multiple lawsuits have been filed against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security across the country over a lack of proper medical care during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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U.S. Supreme Court to consider limiting reach of computer fraud law
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to limit the type of conduct that can be prosecuted under a federal computer fraud law in a case it took up on Monday involving a former Georgia police officer convicted after agreeing to investigate whether a purported local stripper was an undercover cop.
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L.A. keeps gun stores closed even though federal government says they're essential
In March, the National Rifle Association sued California Governor Gavin Newsom, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, and other officials to keep gun shops open in the state. But in April, Federal Judge André Birotte Jr. ruled that closing gun shops doesn't violate the Second Amendment because it's temporary. L.A. Times Legal Affairs Columnist Harry Litman weighed in on the issue.
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L.A. District Attorney cracks down on scammers and price gauging in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic
Thursday, April 16. The L.A. Board of Supervisors welcomed District attorney, Jackie Lacey to disclose information from the district attorney office surrounding the spread of COVID-19. The Director of public health provided updated statistics behind the pandemic that has affected every part of the L.A. City structure. Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health shared the latest updates on the COVID-19 Virus.
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LA charges 29 businesses for refusing to close amid stay-at-home order
The city of Los Angeles is bringing charges against more businesses refusing to shutter and flouting the mayor's month-old stay-at-home order, officials said Thursday. The city attorney's office brought criminal charges against at least 29 businesses - 11 in the San Fernando Valley - since the start of the order on March 16. That's a big jump in prosecutions since earlier this month.
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In Depth: Addressing COVID-19 with LA City Attorney Mike Feuer (audio)
When you have a public health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation can be very challenging. For LA City Attorney Mike Feuer, it's critically important that Angelenos listen to the safer-at-home orders, otherwise, the spread will continue. In this episode of In Depth Feuer discusses price gouging, unapproved at home testing kits, people being take advantage of during a crisis and how the pandemic is affecting the city and Feuer's workflow.
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Judge: Rick Singer's notes raise 'disturbing' questions about the case against his college admissions clients
Since they were made public two months ago, a series of iPhone notes written by William "Rick" Singer, the man at the center of the college admissions scandal, have roiled the cases he helped build against dozens of his former clients. The defense has seized on the notes, in which Singer wrote he'd been instructed to "tell a fib" and "retrieve responses that are not accurate" when calling his clients on a recorded line, as grounds for throwing out the indictment.
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Feds charge doctor who cited Trump to push hydroxychloroquine 'miracle cure'
It was described as the "magic bullet" to protect against the deadly coronavirus - a "remarkable clinical phenomenon" that could cure the disease within hours. In the words of San Diego physician Jennings Staley, the drug hydroxychloroquine , approved to treat conditions ranging from malaria to lupus, was "almost too good to be true."
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Child abusers eligible for immediate release under California's new $0 cash bail emergency mandate
The San Bernardino County Sheriff is blasting California's new $0 cash bail emergency mandate after he says he was forced to release a repeat felony child abuse suspect immediately after his arrest, and will have to release hundreds of potentially dangerous criminals back into the public under the new rules. In an interview with FOX 11 reporter Bill Melugin, Sheriff John McMahon decried the state's order as dangerous and unnecessary.
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Rethink jail policy during, and after, coronavirus pandemic
If there's a silver lining to the coronavirus outbreak, it's that Americans are now more willing to rethink the way their government has provided services. For instance, we've seen how regulations have impeded the development of drugs and the ability of health-care workers to cross state lines, and that public schools are behind the curve at distance learning.
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LA District Attorney, challenger sound off on California $0 cash bail mandate
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey and her runoff opponent, former San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, are sounding off to FOX 11 regarding their positions on California's recently enacted emergency $0 cash bail mandate. The order allows inmates charged with misdemeanors and low-level felonies to be eligible for immediate release from custody, including right after arrests.
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Advocates call on CA Gov. Gavin Newsom to release more prison inmates in light of COVID-19
Advocates are calling on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to release thousands of prison inmates who may be vulnerable to COVID-19. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Californians United for a Responsible Budget, or CURB, has advocated for the release of inmates who have committed serious offenses as well as those who are especially vulnerable to the disease, including those over the age of 50 and those with at least one serious medical condition.
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San Bernardino County law enforcement leaders oppose $0 coronavirus bail order
San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon and District Attorney Jason Anderson are among the latest law enforcement officials to publicly oppose the California Judicial Council's emergency order granting $0 bail in misdemeanor and lower-level felony cases in an effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus among inmates by decreasing the jail population.
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Law enforcement leaders agree: Money bail has to end, especially in a pandemic
COVID-19 has made strikingly clear how overcrowded our jails are. A significant factor is the widespread use of money bail. As a former police chief and federal prosecutor who have witnessed some of the inequalities of this system firsthand, it's clearer than ever that the United States needs to end its reliance on money bail entirely. And many in law enforcement agree.
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Will the CA Supreme Court agree to push LA courts to release more kids from county lockups due to COVID-19 dangers?
On Tuesday, April 14, Loyola Law School's Center for Juvenile Law and Policy, and the Independent Juvenile Defender Office of the LA County Bar Association petitioned the California Supreme Court to use its power to push Los Angeles County's juvenile courts into getting more kids out of LA's youth lockups and back home, due to the health risks presented by the coronavirus, dangers that are made far worse for those locked up in "institutional settings," such as nursing homes, jails, prisons - and youth detention facilities.
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Lawsuit targets ICE practice of posing as police
In the fall of 2018, when an officer came looking for Osny Sorto-Vasquez Kidd at his Hacienda Heights home, he and his family complied. The officer said she was a detective with local police and that she was looking for "a dangerous man out to get us," Kidd said. Her clothing said "police," and she showed the family a photo of the bad guy. But the photo was apparently fake. And the woman wasn't a detective.
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Long Beach police could make it easier to share public records with the District Attorney
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is seeking more access to officer public records at police departments, and Long Beach could soon join in that effort, officials said Friday. Since a new police transparency law took effect last year, records detailing officer use of force and misconduct throughout the state have come to light. Police departments have responded in various ways to the new law, Senate Bill 1421, with Long Beach police posting their records to an online portal since September.
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Cops should enforce the law, not the whims of politicians
On November 1, 2013, a gunman opened fire in Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport. He was soon confronted and shot by airport police officers, but not before killing a TSA agent and wounding two others and a traveler. I was still with the LAPD at the time and was among the hundreds of police officers and federal agents who responded to the shooting's chaotic aftermath.
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Immigrant detainees sue for release amid pandemic
More than 400 immigrants have filed a federal class action, seeking immediate release from two California detention facilities they say are ripe for an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. The first class action brought by detainees at Mesa Verde ICE detention facility in Bakersfield and Yuba County Jail in Marysville claims Immigration and Customs Enforcement has refused to take any meaningful action to prevent infection from spreading among detainees.
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L.A. ends program to predict property crime locations
Because of financial constraints caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the Los Angeles Police Department will halt a controversial program that predicts where property crimes could occur, said Police Chief Michel Moore, the Los Angeles Times reports. Critics say the predictive-policing program, called Pred-Pol, has led to heavier policing of minority neighborhoods. Moore disagrees that the program unfairly targets Latino and black neighborhoods.
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LA ready to begin talks to settle homeless lawsuit
Prior to the pandemic sparked by the novel coronavirus, there was the widespread calamity of homelessness in the city of Los Angeles. City officials said Thursday they are in talks to draft an ordinance to address shelter bed shortages. The effort could result in a quality-of-life ordinance and achievement of important targets in response to a growing homeless population.
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LA County supervisors move to rein in sheriff's department spending
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva would get a little more than half of the $143.7 million in public safety dollars he is asking for, under a terse plan introduced Wednesday, April 22 - the latest step in supervisors' efforts to rein in the department's budget overruns. Tension over the budget is just the latest feud between the board and the sheriff, elected in an upset in November 2018.
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Breaking down the federal corruption probe into LA City Hall
City watchdogs have been chomping at the bit for an outcome to the FBI raids that descended on the Los Angeles City Hall office and home of 14th District Councilman Jose Huizar back in November 2018. Nearly 1.5 years later, Huizar has not been charged with any crimes. He was stripped of his committee assignments, including his seat as chair of the powerful Planning and Land Use Management committee, but continues to collect an annual salary of more than $200,000.
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This federal judge is risking his life to save homeless people from the coronavirus
"Anybody want to test my accountability by walking with me in a few moments down to skid row?" U.S. District Judge David O. Carter leveled the question at a room full of attorneys on a recent Tuesday afternoon. "Do you all believe me, or do you want to see it?" he pressed. "Do you want to see it?"
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$1 billion tax revenue loss expected in L.A. County due to coronavirus
Los Angeles County Board of supervisors are predicting a $1 billion decline in sales tax revenues this fiscal year and are expecting to lose even more by next year due to the coronavirus, officials said Friday. Los Angeles County's economic outlook has taken a hard hit from the COVID-19 crisis, with officials forecasting a $1 billion decline in sales tax revenue this fiscal year ending on June 30, 2020, according to County documents.
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Los Angeles County is planning a COVID-19 small business support program
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has agreed to launch a new small business financial support program to help L.A.'s most vulnerable businesses survive the COVID-19 crisis. The fund will include "bridge funding for small businesses likely to receive federal disaster assistance," according to the text of the initiative, which was crafted by Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
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Beverly Hills' top cop - out of a job
The Beverly Hills Police Department's chief, Sandra Spagnoli, suddenly retired this week following years of employee lawsuits, settlements, and jury awards that have cost residents more than $7-million. The City said in a statement Saturday her last day would be May 15. "I am grateful to have served Beverly Hills and proud of the accomplishments over the past 4 years to keep this world-class community one of the safest in the nation," Spagnoli said in a prepared quote.
NBC4 Los Angeles
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LA City, District Attorneys begin campaign to help victims of comestic abuse
Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer and District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced a program Friday aimed at providing resources to victims of domestic abuse, as reports of those types of crimes have declined since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The Behind Closed Doors initiative is a partnership with grocery stores, Los Angeles Unified School District and other organizations to post fliers at their locations with contact information for assistance that abuse victims can use.
City News Service
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Amazon settles $30 million hoverboard li-ion fire lawsuit
A Nashville family sought $30 million in compensation for a Lithium-ion battery-powered hoverboard fire that destroyed their $1 million home and injured their two children. The family claimed that Amazon had information about the dangers of the product and knowingly sold it in advance of the 2016 Christmas season fire. The lawsuit says the seller of the hoverboard listed online, "W-Deals," is a sham organization that is registered to an apartment in New York City.
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FBI has stopped hundreds of coronavirus-related online scams
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has worked with law enforcement and private sector companies to take down hundreds of online domains used to run scams related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of Tuesday, the center had reviewed more than 3,600 complaints related to online coronavirus scams, many involving websites advertising fake vaccines and cures, operating fraudulent charity drives or delivering malware, according to a release from the Department of Justice.
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Amazon faces claims it violated California price-gouging law in COVID-19 emergency
Online retail giant Amazon Inc. has been hit with a lawsuit claiming that the company and third-party sellers on its website have violated a California law prohibiting price hikes of more than 10% on certain essential goods during a declared emergency.
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Stores offer perks to first responders and health care workers during the pandemic
Sam's Club joined other stores on Sunday in offering perks to health care workers and first responders on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. Every Sunday until further notice, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., they'll be able shop early alongside Sam's Club associates at all locations. A membership is not required. Other retailers have announced similar benefits.
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You can now get free credit reports every single week
The Fair Credit Reporting Act is the law that regulations the collection of consumer information and gave consumers the right to view their credit reports every 12 months. Your credit score is based on the information in your credit report. That's why it's so important for consumers to review their reports at least once a year. There are often errors in a report that can cause your score to drop, which can cost you money in higher interest rates or being rejected for a loan.
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O.C. sheriff reports an uptick in domestic violence calls amid coronavirus crisis
The Orange County Sheriff's Department announced an uptick in calls reporting domestic violence, family disputes and child custody cases - a symptom of stay-at-home orders caused by the widening coronavirus crisis, officials said. Domestic violence calls have increased 25% when compared with the same period in March and April last year, Sheriff Don Barnes said at a news conference Thursday.
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Coronavirus: Man wanted in carjacking, assault after contested jail release
A man has been arrested after he allegedly carjacked someone and hit another victim in the head with a hammer days after his controversial release from Santa Clara County jail under emergency court measures to reduce jail overcrowding during the coronavirus pandemic. James Mitchell Correa, 25, is being sought in a reported carjacking and hammer attack in San Jose on April 15, 2020, according to police.
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Redding Police arrest man released from prison five days ago
Redding Police Officials say they arrested a man just five days after he had been released from state prison because of coronavirus concerns. Officials say this occurred on Saturday, April 18 at 2:21 a.m., officers from the Redding Police Department responded to the 800 block of State Street on the report of a white male subject prowling near a residence in the area.
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Released early, violated parole: Sunday shooter could've still been in prison
The man who shot and killed his pregnant girlfriend and then kidnapped his son in Lamont Sunday night could've still been in prison. Javier Vidal, who was later killed in a shootout with officers, was released this August after serving less than two years of a four year sentence. According to court records the sentence was handed down after Vidal entered into a plea deal.
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Some offenses rise as overall crime drops in big cities
Amid empty streets and shuttered shops, crime rates in some of the biggest U.S. cities have dropped - with a few exceptions. Car thefts and store robberies are spiking in some municipalities even as crime overall - especially violent offenses - dropped in 10 of the 20 most populated cities, more than halving in San Francisco alone, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of data from 10 major cities.
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Man arrested for threatening Fox journalist at Huntington Beach stay-at-home protest
A Costa Mesa man is behind bars on suspicion of holding a television journalist at knifepoint after Friday's protest in Huntington Beach against coronavirus-driven stay-at-home orders. Christien Francis Petersen, 36, was arrested just before 8 p.m. Friday for exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a firearm and for kidnapping, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department log.
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Released with zero bail, car theft suspect allegedly reoffends - twice
A Woodland auto theft suspect released from Yolo County Jail under California's emergency zero-bail order found himself back in custody on multiple felony charges this week, including allegations that he stole two more cars, using one to lead police on a high-speed pursuit. Jacob Dakota James' alleged crimes prompted the Yolo County District Attorney's Office to issue a news release Monday about the reoffense, announcing new charges of vehicle theft, looting, evading police, resisting arrest and violating a public health order.
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Kristin Smart case: Search warrant served at LA County home of former classmate Paul Flores
A search warrant was served Wednesday at the Los Angeles County home of a former classmate of Kristin Smart, who remains a person of interest in her 1996 disappearance. The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Department announced that the warrant would be served at the home of Paul Flores, "for specific items of evidence." The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department assisted in serving the warrant.
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Growing protests in Orange County over stay home orders raises enforcement questions
With an assortment of Orange County residents engaging in active protests of Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay home orders this past week, questions are beginning to arise about how local law enforcement will handle enforcement of the orders as well as defiance. OC Supervisor Don Wagner said he and his colleagues have been supporting a light-handed approach so far to the stay home order enforcement.
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Most of defamation claims vs. Smollett lawyers tossed
A federal judge tossed most of the claims in a lawsuit accusing two of actor Jussie Smollett's lawyers of defaming brothers accused of helping the former "Empire" actor stage a racist and homophobic hate crime. In a written opinion Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland held all the statements made by Mark Geragos of Geragos & Geragos in Los Angeles and most of the statements made by Tina Glandian of the firm's New York office were not specific enough to defame the brothers or to place them in a false light under Illinois law.
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Pilot sues hotel for letting cops in while he was naked
A commercial airline pilot arrested for being naked in his Denver hotel room sued the Westin hotel chain in federal court Friday for letting the police in. Before piloting a plane to Cedar Rapids, Ohio, in September 2018, United Airlines Captain Andrew Collins was getting dressed in room 1017 when police raided his room and arrested him. The police body cam video shows he was wearing only a towel.
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Backlash erupts against stay-at-home enforcement
In the month since governors issued stay-at-home orders, several states and local governments are stepping up enforcement campaigns that threaten hefty fines and jail time, all in the name of slowing the coronavirus, USA Today reports. New Jersey officials have been disclosing the names of dozens of people whose alleged transgressions would have meant little if not for the virus.
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Nurses applaud introduction of emergency COVID-19 bill to protect RNs, first responders, and health care workers
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, California Nurses Association (CNA) is pleased to cosponsor Assembly Bill 664 (Cooper) to protect California's nurses, firefighters, police officers, and health care workers by providing presumptive eligibility for workers' compensation during a state of emergency. California is one of many states that have laws that grant some public safety employees, such as police officers and firefighters, "presumptive eligibility" for workers' compensation.
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California regulator to reduce historic PG&E wildfire fine by $200 million
California's utilities regulator plans to shave $200 million off a historic $2.14 billion fine against Pacific Gas and Electric for destructive wildfires sparked in 2017 and 2018, citing the risk a higher fine poses to the utility's plan for exiting bankruptcy. In a proposed decision issued Monday, the California Public Utilities Commission recommended permanently suspending a $200 million portion of the fine to help ensure PG&E can compensate fire victims and emerge from bankruptcy by a June 30 deadline.
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CHP: Less people on the road does not mean speed, 87% increase in citations over 100 mph
The California Highway Patrol says citations for drivers speeding more than 100 mph jumped by 87% since the stay-at-home order. Caltrans announced on Wednesday, April 22, in a joint effort with the CHP and the California Office of Traffic Safety to urge drivers in the state to slow down given a recent 87% increase in citations for speeding in excess of 100 mph that coincides with decreased traffic volumes during the COVID-19 pandemic, the CHP released.
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Connecticut town tests 'pandemic drone' to find fevers. Experts question if it would work.
A Connecticut police department said it plans to begin testing a "pandemic drone" that could detect whether a person 190 feet away has a fever or is coughing. But an expert on viruses and a privacy advocate question whether such technology can work and, if it does, whether it would help in controlling the spread of the coronavirus. The Westport Police Department and the town's top elected official, First Selectman Jim Marpe, said the goal is to use the technology as part of a pilot program to "flatten the curve" of the pandemic.
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Calif. inmates using video, phones to seek release over COVID-19
In a federal court hearing in Sacramento that was conducted by telephone on Wednesday because of COVID-19, the latest in a steady stream of requests was made for the release of an inmate from the Sacramento County Jail over fears of the pandemic spreading through the lockup. This time, the motion concerned inmate Myron Armstrong, a 53-year-old native Sacramentan and father of two who has been in custody since July 2018 on drug and firearms charges.
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Recently released state prisoners are testing positive for COVID-19
At least three former prison inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 soon after they were released from the California Institution for Men (CIM) in San Bernardino County, raising concerns that the largest outbreak in a state prison could spread to the communities where people return upon release. Rodney Walker, 63, was released on parole in Los Angeles County on April 3 after serving his full eight-year sentence.
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No baseball or beaches: Virus upends usual California summer
In these dark times, clouded by fears of an enemy we can't see and sheltered in homes we're itching to leave, it's reassuring to know that California's sunsets over the Pacific are just as vivid. You just can't enjoy them with sand between your toes. Most beaches and virtually every other destination in California are closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Though the outlook has improved, Gov. Gavin Newsom has written off the possibility of a typical summer.
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Insurer sues Geragos Law Firm over COVID-19 coverage question
An insurance company has asked a federal court to weigh in on a coverage question about whether two policies purchased by Mark Geragos' law firm, Geragos & Geragos, cover business losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawyers for Travelers Casualty Insurance Co. of America filed suit in the U.S. District Court of the Central District of California on Monday seeking a declaratory judgment that claims Geragos has made under the policies fall under "very specific exclusions" stating that losses, including business income losses, resulting from a virus or bacteria are not covered.
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In CA: A who's who of Golden State leaders will help reopen California
Anyone who's anyone has been asked to help reopen California and rebuild an economy some experts say totters toward a depression. And I talk to a Philadelphia transplant who began using his art to make sense of his new city of San Francisco and later, the coronavirus. It's Arlene MartÃnez, with news to close out your week. But first, here are some reasons why you may not have gotten your stimulus check yet.
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USC Annenberg communication study predicts declining trust in government will lead to growth and democratization of activism
From Greta Thunberg to the founders of March For Our Lives, a new generation of activists, disillusioned with government, is employing modern public relations tools to raise awareness of a broad spectrum of social and environmental issues, according to USC Annenberg's 2020 Global Communication Report. The study also found that what it calls "New Activists" are aligned with PR professionals in the belief that the best strategy for creating long-lasting change is not protesting but voting.
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Caltrans' bias against road-widening
Caltrans has come out against road-widening projects. Starting Sept. 15, highway projects that begin their required analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act will have to demonstrate that there will be no increase in driving as a result of the project's completion. That means widening a road will be almost illegal in California. It won't be 100 percent illegal, because "mitigation" of the increased driving may help to get the project approved.
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Jury will decide winemaker clash over 'buttery' chardonnay
"Buttery" is a term commonly used by wine enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike when describing a full-bodied chardonnay. But one Napa winemaker took boxed wine purveyor Franzia to court over the word, and a federal judge says a jury must decide whether Franzia's use of "rich & buttery" on its chardonnay label constitutes trademark infringement. Jam Cellars has been selling its Butter chardonnay since 2010.
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No traction for Oakland in antitrust beef with Raiders, NFL
A federal judge seems to be on the edge of dismissing the city of Oakland's antitrust lawsuit against the Las Vegas Raiders and the National Football League for a second time, saying at a hearing Friday that the city hasn't shown how the league's structure is anticompetitive. U.S. District Judge Joseph Spero said the city - until recently the home of the Raiders - hasn't convinced him that it could have hosted another team but for the NFL's market restrictions, particularly its 32-team limit.
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UCLA professor sues Seyfarth claiming $24 million malpractice
A UCLA linguistics professor is suing Big Law's Seyfarth Shaw and one of its former partners over their investigation of her discrimination and harassment complaints against her former employer, California State University at Fullerton. The professor, Natalie Operstein, seeks $24 million in compensatory damages, plus a punitive award, attorneys fees and costs.
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California schools ask for pension relief, more funding to cope with coronavirus costs
California school districts are asking Gov. Gavin Newsom to delay scheduled increases to their pension payments and to divert money from a variety of relief funds to help them get through the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The superintendents of five major school districts, including Sacramento City Unified, outlined the requests in a letter to Newsom on Friday.
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Coronavirus will make America's cities feel the pressure of pension debt
Municipal pension debt is among the many aspects of the economy that have been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 not only exposes, but also further threatens the already-weak fiscal health of municipal retirement plans. Inaction on this front could mean insolvent pension plans dragging some of the nation's largest cities into bankruptcy. After all, when the stock market takes a hit, so do pensions.
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No gain, lots of pain
The sharp decline in financial markets will likely result in a huge setback to government-employee pension funds, which never fully recovered from the last recession. Though the accounting of these systems is more complex than ordinary municipal budgets, and the implications of market drops can take time to become apparent, a picture is emerging of the costs that some of the biggest funds - like the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) - face.
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| California pension fund board slams China linked CIO for selling off hedges ahead of coronavirus market downturn
Yu Ben Meng - the chief investment officer of California's public pension who has ties to Chinese espionage - sold off the fund's investments in hedges against market downturn without the approval of the pension's board, a move that cost the fund a billion-dollar payout following the coronavirus market crash.
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Petaluma takes action on pension reform
The Petaluma City Council Monday approved an updated contract with the California Public Employees' Retirement System or CalPERS that includes a change requiring firefighters to increase employee pension contributions. Shackled to a bloated and unfunded pension liability, the contract represents the near end of the city's process to increase employee contributions to the retirement fund.
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